Aaaaaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhh!!!!!!!

renaultvation

renaultvation

0
If I had much hair I would have pulled it all our by now! [:(!]

Does anyone know anything about Fiats? My wife has a 1994 1.6 Punto Cabrio which has been ultra reliable for 19 years, but is now sick. It started with the occasional misfire. I suspected the injectors and put a slog of redex in the tank. However, a few days later it cut out on me at 70mph on the A14, requiring a call to the RAC. Two and a half hours later (and a flattened battery) Mr RAC connected a booster to the battery and it fired up immediately and I drove home with the RAC guy behind me in case it cut out again. He suggested it could be a failing crank sensor, so I replaced it, but it has not solved the problem.

The car will start immediately from cold and run perfectly for around seven minutes, then cut out and not restart for many hours. When it fails there is no spark, but there is a live feed to the coil pack, so I am suspecting the coil pack itself. Unlike most Puntos, this one has a single coil pack rather than the twin pack on all other models. It also has the ECU in the cabin, behind the console, rather than in the engine bay like all others.

I can't get the car to my usual garage as it is more than 7 minutes away. I have been in touch with a mobile mechanic, but he does not have the correct three pin connector for an old Fiat to read any codes. I have been on the Fiat Forum, but am no further forward, particularly as none of them appear to have any experience of the 1.6 engine. It is not the immobiliser as this car does not have one!

Has anyone had any similar experiences? Am I throwing good money at bad if I buy a new coil pack (about £50)? It would be cheaper than the cost transporting the car to the garage.

And finally, Liz absolutely loves this car and does not wish to part with it!

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'I intend to live forever - so far, so good'
 
By your description it certainly sounds like the coil pack or maybe a connection that fails when it gets warm. Try cleaning the connections to the coil pack and see what happens - where's Jon when you need him;)

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Let it Snow
 
Prime suspect is the coil pack ;)

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"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
Founder of the 6 speed club
 
We had a Punto Selecta '99 on a 3-year lease, it was great and all I had to do was drive and keep refilling the petrol tank!

Is this the culprit?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VAUXHALL-OPEL-ASTRA-CORSA-CAVALIER-NOVA-TIGRA-VECTRA-IGNITION-COIL-/291039910776?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Model%3APunto|Cars+Type%3A1.6&hash=item43c3549b78


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If it would just stop snowing
 
Yes, that looks like it. Interestingly, both the ECU and the coil pack are GM products made in the UK.

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'I intend to live forever - so far, so good'
 
Thanks for finding that Greg, I didn't think to look under Vauxhall. That was (past tense;)) significantly cheaper than from my local motor factor.

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'I intend to live forever - so far, so good'
 
quote:
Posted - 28 Dec 2013 : 17:26:04 Show Profile Email Poster Visit Beachboy's Homepage Reply with Quote

That`s why they have lasted so long

Bloody Commer`s!




Let's hope you are right Beachboy, the ECU could be significantly more expensive. Incidentally, that looked a very nice Bedford CA you had up on Ebay before Christmas. I presume you had no trouble finding a buyer.

th_CommerWanderer001.jpg


'I intend to live forever - so far, so good'
 
could be a bad earth, gets warm and increases resistance?

I sorted my garage into 4 piles of stuff.
1. Stuff I`m keeping
2. Stuff I`m not getting rid of.
3. Stuff I might use..one day.
4. Stuff that might come in handy.
 
(sorry panky been mega busy with work all over christmas.Day off tomorrow calls though!) Hi Chris the engine fitted in your punto is the same as the bravo and brava fiat range isnt it? They are prone for crank sensors but as you have fitted a new one thats ticked off the list. Its unusual for the coil to fail completely with the one you have fitted to your model they usually just cause a missfire dropping one or two of the posts, but that said it is possible. The twin fiat coils you mentioned are very prone for going down causing a missfire. If you continue to drive with the missfire ive seen them track back to the ecu and blow the output chanel for that coil. So if you fit a new one it still missfires. Ive fitted new ecu and coils to these of which I can get un locked so you can use any key not needing the transponder. I have two machines which read the fault codes for the old fiat 3pin plug type its ashame you are over 2.5hours away from me as I would have pluged it in and had a look for you. For what it will cost you and having no access to a code reader, I would fit a new coil,leads and plugs. Another one as paul says check all the earth points from gearbox to body and battery.Also check all the ecu earth points. You say there is a live feed to the coil pack but you should also have a switching feed which will be triggered from the crank sensor back to the ecu. Is the crank sensor the one that has a fly lead and plug on it? Or does the loom plug in direct?? Is the trigger wheel nice and clean? Is it triggered from the fly wheel or the crank pulley? Im not sure if this model is also fitted with a cam sensor as its the 16v one isnt it? Its been a long while since ive worked on one of these as my sister had a 1.4 16v model which is the same engine.

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JON'S AUTOS the garage that comes to you...
[email protected]
www.jonsautos.co.uk
www.facebook.com/jonsautos
 
Many thanks for the comprehensive response Jon. I suspect that it is the same engine as in the Bravo and Brava, but it is an 8v unit, not 16v like the 1.4. I am awaiting the arrival of the new coil and will check all earth points again, although they appeared ok. The crank sensor plugs straight into the loom and is triggered by the crank pulley. The crank pulley itself is a bit dirty as the engine leaks oil from the cam cover.Given the age of our car, it pre-dates the immobiliser requiring the red key, but if we need a new ECU, chances are it will come from a later model with the immobiliser (if we can find one at all). Unfortunately the Cabrio is a bit of a rare beast and after 96, it was fitted with a 1.2 engine, so our options are limited.

Fingers crossed for the new coil!

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'I intend to live forever - so far, so good'
 
Fitted the new coil and not a sausage: :( No spark whatsoever, so I refitted the old coil and still nothing, even from cold. I have also removed the earth strap, cleaned the connections and refitted nice and tight - still nothing. [xx(]
Battery is currently on charge.

Happy New Year!

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'I intend to live forever - so far, so good'
 
Sometimes you just yearn for a set of points.......[B)]

4650583641_dba2503b41_o.jpg

"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
Founder of the 6 speed club
 
When was the last cam belt change? the reason I'm asking is that I can remember someone having similar troubles and it was diagnosed as a worn cam belt and gears - trouble was it wasn't a Fiat but there could be similarities:I

morris.gif
 
I can't remember exactly when we last had the cambelt changed, but it was only a few thousand miles ago. As this is a non-interference engine, it is possible for slippage of the belt to result in rough running without catastrophic results, but in this instance, when the engine does run, it runs perfectly without any roughness or misfire. trouble is, it will only run for a few minutes then suddenly stops and will not restart for many hours.

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'I intend to live forever - so far, so good'
 
I don't know. I did try cranking the engine with the voltmeter attached to each of the individual wires to the coil in turn. The brown was consistently reading 12v (which I assume is just a live feed), and the other two (not including the earth) just about registered a small current, but did not move when the engine was cranked.

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'I intend to live forever - so far, so good'
 
Forgot to say, it won't start at all now. I have also checked the ECU for signs of damage/water ingress, but it appears nice and dry and clean. I did check the wires from the ECU to the coil and confirmed that they were working fine with no breaks.

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'I intend to live forever - so far, so good'
 
You need a noid light on the injector to see if you have got a pulse. its not a very complicated system. I doubt the ecu is at fault. You need to see if the crank sensors is switching before you do anything else. Its hard to help you without looking at the car:(

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wolf-6-PC-Noid-Light-Set-Fuel-Injection-Fault-Finder-/271339626141?pt=UK_Diagnostic_Tools_Equipment&hash=item3f2d1a1e9d

th_c286f0ee-63c4-4297-a0e1-bed3864c542e_zps27c68fe0.jpg

JON'S AUTOS the garage that comes to you...
[email protected]
www.jonsautos.co.uk
www.facebook.com/jonsautos
 
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